I have just finished posting about all my great great grandparents through 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks. It is a good time to compare & analyze.
My father’s great grandparents:
Allen Brown 1836
– c 1870 33 years [Accidental Death]
Emmaline Smith 1834 –
1920 88 years
Jessie Brumfield 1838
– 1914 75 years
Martha Alford 1846
– unknown
William Mark 1844
– 1904 60 years
Elidia R Ritter 1854
– 1912 58 years
Augustus Gruissy 1840 –
1915 75 years
Esther B Wolf 1836
– 1906 70 years
Average age = 66
They were all born in a 23 year span & died in a 45 year span.
Because Allen Brown drown as a young man the average life span becomes
low. If you look at my father's grandparents & parents, his side of the family is clearly the longer lived.
My mother’s great grandparents:
Patrick Coyle 1841
– 1925 84 years
Margaret Brady c1855
– 1934 79 years
Daniel Mullane 1838
– 1930 92 years
Brigid English 1848
– 1920 72 years
Average Age = 82
They were all born in a 17 year span & died in a 14 year span.
These are all on my mother’s mother’s side of the tree because I have
no information on her father’s side. This limited information probably means there is no statistical significance but it is still interesting.
I think this is a really interesting exercise, Colleen. I did a post a similar month or two ago with two differences: I didn't divide mine by maternal and paternal but identified which side of the family they were on; and I included causes of death. I think mine averaged to about 66 years, too, but I had several grandmothers who died at very young ages and included them. I don't really like numbers all that much so I surprised myself at being interested in a list like this.
ReplyDeleteNancy, isn't it interesting to look at the dates and ages. Of course, I can't help but wonder where I will end up some day; hopefully in with the long lived ancestors!
DeleteAn interesting analysis, Colleen. You are probably right about there not being much of a significance in averages with or without some of the family members included...but I would still have whipped out my calculator and redone that average on the paternal side, after setting aside that one unfortunate outlier--the ancestor who drowned.
ReplyDeleteThough these are all strictly numbers, they represent people's stories in the abstract. How devastating that must have been for the family to lose Allen Brown. My mind starts seeking explanations for the others, too, like the woman who died much younger than the others--and her husband who soon followed her. Some people are repelled by numbers, but I think they help point out places where more could be ferreted out.
Jacqui, they were certainly more than dates & numbers. Of course, as genealogists, I hope we all make those people come alive again.
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